Still in the certification process, the Boeing 737 MAX 10 may not even receive the much sought after certification. In an interview, the CEO of the American manufacturer said that the project is at risk of being discontinued and archived.
In an interview with Aviation Geek, Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun said the manufacturer is having trouble with US regulators certifying the MAX 10 variant. The executive said it's not what the manufacturer had in mind but that shelving the project had become a real risk.
“If you go through the things we've been through, the debts we've had to rack up, our ability to respond or the willingness to see things through even in a world without the -10 is not as threatening. The Boeing 737 MAX 10 is a bit of all or nothing. […] I think our case is quite persuasive… That's a risk I'm willing to take. If I lose the fight, I lose the fight.” Calhoun said.
“I don't expect (to cancel the show), and I don't want anyone to think that. It's just a risk." completed.
With 710 orders for the Boeing 737 MAX 10, including orders from the Brazilian GOL, the manufacturer is running out of time to try to certify the plane before the FAA deadline, which ends in December.
Change in aircraft certification
With the accidents involving the Boeing 737 MAX itself, the FAA has adopted a more rigid stance regarding the certification processes of any aircraft.
The most recent measure is related to the alerts issued in the cockpit to the crew due to some failure or malfunction in the plane's systems during the flight. The bill also reduces the influence of Boeing and other aircraft manufacturers in the certification process, allowing the FAA to carry out work without 'pressure'.
Boeing's ime with the new regulations is more specific in relation to the Engine Indication and Crew Alert System (EICAS), in which only the 737/737 MAX family is not eligible.
For all Boeing 737 aircraft to comply with the new system, the manufacturer would need to work a lot on the cockpit of the aircraft, as the systems used are inherited from the first generations.
EICAS is a system that notifies pilots of any problem in flight systems and instructs pilots on how to deal with the situation.
With the MAX 8 and 9 aircraft already in operation, updating these aircraft will be a lot of work for the manufacturer, which also needs to race against time to resolve the same ime in relation to the MAX 10.
“Even if it could be retrofitted across the entire MAX fleet, that means you have a period of 5, 6 or 10 years where you're still flying a mixed fleet. This is going to be a training challenge.” Peter Morton, a former Boeing executive, said.
Another issue pointed out is the pilots and mechanics who operate and perform maintenance on the 737 MAX and then move on to the NG series. Despite the same design, the cockpit is different on the two planes and the alert systems could also end up confusing pilots and mechanics with different alerts according to Boeing's argument.
Since the MAX 10 began flight testing just over a year ago, this comment is not going to encourage anyone to think that Boeing can meet the December 20th deadline.
Otherwise, Boeing must bet on an extension of Congress. Fleming presented the elements of the case for this.
With information AeroTime.
